NGO Expands Programme to Boost Education in the North

As part of efforts to put an end to education inequity, a non-profit organisation, Teach-for-Nigeria (TFN) has expanded its programme to the northern part of the country to boost education in such marginalised areas.

The transformational programme, which kicked-off in 2017 in Lagos and Ogun States, has now been extended to Kaduna, following the organisation’s partnership agreement with the state government to place teachers in high-need primary schools across the state.

Through the collaboration, Teach-for-Nigeria mobilised 88 fellows, who currently serve as full-time teachers across 22 public primary schools in Kaduna State.

Commenting on the expansion, the Chief Executive Officer of TFN, Folawe Omikunle said “the Kaduna State Government’s bold education reforms and its unflinching commitment to improving learning outcomes for children in public schools were the bases upon which we selected the state to be our first partner state in the northern region. This is why we also set up our northern office in Kaduna to underpin our commitment to the region.

In his remarks, Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai regretted the current state of education in the nation as a whole. “Most of us are products of the public school system and we feel we must bequeath to our children the type of quality education that was bequeathed to us. We have considered education the most important sector from the onset of our administration. This is why we have been consistent in allocating over 20 per cent of our budget to the sector throughout the last few years of this administration.”

He expressed hope that TFN will become the guiding light for future interventions, saying, “we have over 4,000 primary schools in Kaduna State that need innovation and mentoring.”

The Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mallam Ja’afaru Sani also commended the TFN team for its commitment to social development through the fellowship programme, and for choosing Kaduna to pioneer in the northern region.

He said the Department for International Development (DFID) would be a part of the process with baseline evaluation conducted in the schools to allow for proper impact assessment.